Final year dental students' attitudes and preferences of dental specialties and specialty training centers and factors influencing their decisions – Damascus University

Abstract

Background & Aim: was to evaluate attitudes of final year dental students in the faculty of dental medicine- Damascus university toward specialization and assess the factors that influence their specialty type selection. It aimed to evaluate their opinions about the current way of postgraduate studies acceptance.

Materials and Methods:  A cross-sectional questionnaire was conducted. The surveys were distributed among all final year students, which consisted of open and closed-ended questions that evaluated the attitudes of the students towards dental specialties, specialty training centers, and factors influencing their decisions. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and the significance was set at 5%.

Results:  86.73% of students desired to pursue postgraduate specialization. The most preferred specialty among all students was oral and maxillofacial surgery (36.2%). There were gender-related significant differences concerning preferred specialties (p=0.009). Personal passion (74.89%) was the most common factor that played an integral role in the selection of the specialty type. The primary purpose of pursuing a postgraduate specialty in the vast majority of the students (53.4%) was acquiring further clinical training. Most of the students (87.7%) chose the faculty of dental medicine as their preferred specialty-training center. Most of the students (88.4%) considered the current way of postgraduate studies acceptance is not equitable. 79.4% of students preferred the contribution of national exam mark in the sorting of postgraduate studies eligibility.

Conclusion: the vast majority of students desired to pursue a postgraduate studies. Oral and maxillofacial surgery was the most preferred specialty. Most of students preferred to get specialization in the faculty of dental medicine, and they found that the specialization that they chose due to the personal passion is the best way to get further clinical training. This study can aid in educational planning and define priorities to suit the students’ needs.